By Josephine Sesay

Sierra Leone’s greatest resource is not its diamonds, its fertile soil, or its coastline, it is its people. Yet today, the nation is sitting on a social time bomb, youth unemployment. Every year, thousands of young people graduate with dreams but no opportunities. The result is a frustrated generation losing faith in their country , and that frustration is fast becoming Sierra Leone’s most dangerous threat to stability.

Walk through Freetown, Bo, or Makeni, and you’ll see the same picture, bright young minds driving okadas, selling phone top-ups, or simply “waiting for connection.” According to the latest statistics, over 60% of Sierra Leone’s youth are unemployed or underemployed. Most of them have some education, but their skills rarely match market needs.

This is not just an economic problem , it is a national security concern. When the majority of the population feels excluded from progress, anger and hopelessness take root. We saw shades of that frustration during the August 2022 protests, where young people, tired of rising prices and lack of jobs, took to the streets. Ignoring their cries is like ignoring smoke rising from a fire.

Migration: The New Dream

For many young Sierra Leoneans, the dream has shifted from success at home to escape abroad. Europe or the Middle East has become a mirage of opportunity ,even if the journey is deadly. The recent surge in irregular migration is a direct reflection of a broken system that has failed to provide hope. When the only plan for survival is to risk drowning in the Mediterranean, something is deeply wrong with national priorities.

Idle Hands, Rising Crime

Joblessness also fuels crime. From petty theft to drug abuse and gang activity, unemployed youth often turn to survival tactics that erode social order. Communities that once thrived on solidarity are now living in fear of their own sons. The government spends more on policing symptoms than solving the root cause, lack of jobs and purpose.

Yes, there are youth empowerment programs, skills centers, and entrepreneurship grants, but they reach only a fraction of those in need. Too often, these initiatives are politicized or poorly implemented. Meanwhile, billions are spent on conferences and “capacity building” workshops that produce more PowerPoint slides than real jobs. Sierra Leone doesn’t need more talk, it needs action that touches the lives of ordinary young people.

If Sierra Leone truly wants stability, it must treat youth employment as a national emergency. That means:

Investing in agriculture, not as subsistence farming, but as agribusiness that employs and empowers the youth.

Reforming education to align with real market needs, teaching skills that create entrepreneurs, not job seekers.

Encouraging innovation and startups by giving young people access to small loans and digital tools.

The youth don’t need handouts, they need opportunity, trust, and a system that believes in their potential.

The true threat to Sierra Leone’s future is not political opposition or external interference, it is the growing hopelessness of its young population. A country that ignores its youth is building a future on sand.

If Sierra Leone is to rise, it must start by putting its young people to work, not just for their sake, but for the stability and survival of the nation itself.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 19th November 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)